The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Anjana Ahirwar, a young Dalit woman from Madhya Pradesh whose mysterious death in May 2024 sparked allegations of foul play and an alleged cover-up by local authorities.
A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and N Koteswar Singh said an independent investigation was necessary to ensure the circumstances of the death were properly examined.
“We have directed the CBI to conduct a preliminary investigation into the circumstances of the death of the young woman. It goes without saying that if the crime is committed, the CBI will register a regular case and proceed accordingly. The bench directed that the preliminary investigation be completed within three months.”
The court noted that an independent investigation was required because “its conscience must be satisfied that there is no crime.”
Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves, along with Advocate Minish Dubey, appeared on behalf of the petitioner, Anjana’s mother alias Badi Bahu, seeking an independent investigation into the death. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju is representing the state.
Anjana died on May 26, 2024, after she reportedly fell from a moving ambulance transporting the body of her uncle, Rajendra Ahirwar, from a government hospital in Sagar to their village, Barodia Nonagir in Khori.
Rajendra Ahirwar had been fatally attacked the previous night in an alleged clash between two groups. Police said he died from the injuries he sustained in the accident.
According to officials, Anjana was traveling in the ambulance with her family members when she fell from the vehicle. However, the circumstances of her death soon became controversial.
Anjana’s death came less than a year after her brother Nitin Ahirwar was beaten to death in August 2023. Following that incident, Anjana filed an FIR alleging that her brother was killed by people who were pressuring her to compromise in a molestation case. Her brother’s killing sparked protests in the area, including a sit-in by Congress leader Digvijaya Singh.
Civil society groups and activists pointed out that three members of the same Dalit family died within about ten months – Nitin in August 2023, Rajendra in May 2024, and Anjana the next day.
A fact-finding report issued by a citizens’ group in July 2024 questioned the police investigation into Anjana’s death, claiming that authorities hastily concluded that she had jumped from the ambulance.
The incidents took place in Barodia Nonagir village in Sagar district, part of Madhya Pradesh’s Bundelkhand region, where activists alleged long-standing caste tensions. Local residents and activists claimed that village elites of the dominant caste, sometimes referred to locally as “lambardars,” wielded significant influence in the area.
The family alleged that they were pressured to withdraw previous complaints of harassment and violence.
